Mr Tinker
by Hawki
Summary: IDW Oneshot: After the war with the Resistance, Eggman had lost his memories, and by extension, his persona. For a time, he was known as "Mr. Tinker." And while Dr. Starline had restored him to his old self, his time as that gibbering simpleton hadn't been forgotten by the people he'd helped.


**Mr. Tinker**

It felt good to be back, Eggman reflected. Even better than normal.

For years, he'd been in a cycle of existence that reminded him of a ball being bounced up and down. He'd hatch a brilliant scheme, after a long period of incubation. Islands, nations, and in later schemes, the world, would quake at the sound of his footsteps. His plan, like the ball, would rise…only for that irritating talking pincushion named Sonic the Hedgehog to smack him, and the ball, back down to the ground. Plans ruined. Robots scrambled. He'd counted his chickens before they'd hatched. He'd hit the ground, and hit rock bottom. It had been that for an age, from their first encounter in Green Hill, to their last battle at Metropolis. He'd rise, and the world would say "no."

It hurt, hitting the ground over and over. But like the ball, he'd bounce back up. And in that period of acceleration to the stars, he, Doctor Eggman, scientist extraordinaire, most brilliant man on the planet, could find joy. As bitter as the taste of defeat was, rising back to the fore had a joy of its own. And especially now, after Metropolis. Especially after…

…he shuddered, and beheld the work his badniks were doing down below. He didn't want to think about what happened after that. If Starline and Metal Sonic hadn't succeeded in rousing him from his temporary madness, then chances were he'd still be in a village like this. Building silly toys and singing silly songs. Embarrassing himself. Embarrassing the empire.

_What empire?_

He scowled, and not just because the monitor in his Egg Mobile was beeping. What empire indeed? Months ago, he'd had an empire. With the power of the Phantom Ruby, he'd built the largest empire that the world had ever seen. And thanks to the Resistance, thanks to Sonic, even thanks to that blasted red wolf that never said a word, he'd lost it in a fraction of the time. The world's largest empire had also been its shortest. And even if he rebuilt it, even if every corner of every continent flew his flag, the Eggman Empire was always fated to have had a "second wind." The first having been but a breeze blowing out a flickering candle. Nevertheless, he activated the feed.

**VILLAGE SECURE. TAKE SUBJECTS TO PROCESSING? Y/N**

He frowned. Orbot and Cubot talked too much. Sometimes, it felt like his badniks talked too little.

**Y/N**

With a sigh, he hit "Y," and looked around. By now, in some touch of dramatic irony, Sonic or one of his wretched friends should arrive, before making a speech, and after that, making his life a misery. Still, that hadn't happened. Not yet at least. The Resistance, or "Restoration" as it was now calling itself, was certainly aware of his return, but so far had yet to make a move.

Which suited him just fine, the doctor told himself, as he descended in the Egg Mobile to hover just above the ground. He smirked as he saw his badniks march the furries here to processing. They might wail, they might weep, they might give him dirty looks, but soon, it wouldn't matter. They'd be inside metal shells, their bodies serving as organic batteries for his legions. More badniks would be built, more furries would be captured to power more badniks, and the Eggman Empire would rise from the ashes. Not like this place, he reflected, smirking as other badniks burnt down one structure after another with wrist-mounted flamethrowers. Amy Rose had renamed the Resistance as the Restoration, in reference to their supposed task of "restoring" their world. Far as Eggman was concerned, if that was the game the little brat wanted to play, that meant there was only one course of action – burn it all. Burn everything so that there was nothing left to "restore," so that when final victory was achieved, he could build his empire from the ground up.

He chuckled at the thought, before turning to one of his badniks. Indistinct from all the other Egg Pawns bar the silver bars that covered its arms. "You," he said.

The robot looked up at him, staring at the doctor with blank, emotionless eyes.

"Is this everyone?"

"**All probability indicates that entire populace has been rounded up."**

Eggman frowned. "Define _probability_."

"**Probability at 91.03%**.**"**

"Hmm. So, there's a ninety-something percent chance you got everyone, or nine percent of the vermin are still running around." Eggman began typing on his monitor. "What's then name of this collection of hovels anyway?"

"**Furborough."**

"Furborough, Furborough…" Eggman mused, as he continued to type. "Swear I heard that name…" He railed off. Out of the corner of his eye, hidden from the world by the pair of reflective glasses he wore, he saw something. One of the furries, looking at him from behind a wall. A young badger.

"Oh very good," he murmured. He drew out a laser pistol and swung his Egg Mobile around. Up ahead, the badger let out a yelp and ran off.

"Very good indeed." He looked at the badnik. "Not to you, mister ninety-one percent probability."

"**Nine-one-point-oh..."**

"Oh shut up. Just get a badnik squad to follow me." Eggman activated the pistol's power pack. "I've got some hunting to do in this town of…of…"

"**Furborough."**

"Didn't ask you." He nevertheless drifted off. Wondering why that name was so familiar.

##

It didn't take him long for him to trace where the badger had run off to. It had escaped his sight, but it hadn't escaped the Egg Mobile's sensors. A combination of scanners that measured imprints on the grass, coupled with residual heat, and Eggman soon sound the hovel it had fled into. It had been a chase of little effort, and it had allowed him to think. Furborough. Why was that name so familiar? He'd destroyed so many towns already and barely stopped to learn their names. Why this one, of all places? Why was everything so…less repulsive than everything else?

_Maybe you're going soft._

He shook away the thoughts and brought the Egg Mobile down. Furborough was no different than any other village. Sonic's ilk lived in dirt like this – really he was doing them a favour, industrializing the world for them and letting them live peacefully in robot bodies. He looked around at the badnik squad that had followed him, carrying spears, laser rifles, and of course, plenty of fuel, along with propane accessories. He was king of the hill, and this time, no vermin were going to turf him off it.

"Alright, follow me," Eggman said. He got out of his Egg Mobile and pointing the pistol forward, nudged the door open. "And do keep quiet, won't you?"

None of the badniks said anything, and he frowned. _Never thought I'd miss Cubot and Orbot, _he reflected, as he walked into the room. _But the day has come._

He looked around. There was dust. Lots of dust. Even more dust than dumps like these villages usually collected. Dust on walls, dust on chairs, dust on the play set at the far end of the room. The only thing that wasn't covered in dust were the group of animals that were hiding among it, staring at the doctor and badniks with terror in their eyes.

"Mister Tinker?" one of them asked.

Eggman frowned. He watched as one of them, an iguana, looked at the badger. "You're right. It is Mister Tinker."

_That's not my name. _Eggman cleared his throat and pointed his pistol at them. "Alright kiddies. Time's up. You-"

"Why are you doing this Mister Tinker?" The iguana walked forward. "You were so nice."

"Nice?" Eggman scoffed. "Nice?!"

"You rebuilt our village Mister Tinker."

"You were so nice Mister Tinker."

"You played with us Mister Tinker."

The vermin were walking up to him. Well, some of them were. Most of them were hiding behind the playset, but were still looking at him in the same way. With fear, but not just that. Confusion. Hurt.

"Why are you doing this Mister Tinker?" The iguana tugged at Eggman's trousers. "Why?"

Eggman frowned. "Kid, look around. I'm Doctor Eggman. Stamping on the dreams of children is kind of in my job description."

"But you taught us to dream, Mister Tinker. You sang to us. Played with us."

Eggman frowned. "Kid, I assure you-"

"You made Eggman Land!" The iguana stepped aside and gestured to the playset. To the banner that some of his friends had picked up from the floor, holding it before the doctor and badniks as if they were commandments carved into stone.

_Oh hell._

Maybe not commandments. But the banner read **EGGMAN LAND**, and it was certainly a revelation.

_This was it, _Eggman reflected. _Furborough. That village I ended up in after the war. When I lost my memory. When I became some mechanic simpleton and helped…_His gaze lingered on the children. _These creatures._

"They took you away Mister Tinker," said one of the children – a pigeon, who waddled forward to put her wings around his leg. "The two skunks, they took you away." She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Please come back to us Mister Tinker. We don't like you like this. We want the old you back."

Eggman tilted his head to the side. Usually, furries were screaming and running away by now. Not doing repulsive little displays like this.

_Mister Tinker, _he reflected, as the children continued to plead. _Oh how I wish I could forget._

Truth was, he _had _forgotten most of it. His time here, before Rough and Tumble had brought him back. Before Metal Sonic arrived to jolt his memory, having tried to continue the legacy of the Eggman Empire without him. But as he stepped forward, the children parting for him like a sea to a man with a staff, he found himself remembering. Building Eggman Land. Playing the ukulele. Telling them that if they set their minds to it, they could accomplish anything, and other insipid platitudes that he'd long since grown out of.

"Don't you remember, Mister Tinker?" asked the badger. "Don't you remember?"

Eggman sighed. He knelt down, grimacing as his backbone creaked, and met the badger's eyes. "Oh I do, little one. I do."

The badger's eyes shone with something other than tears.

"And that's why I have to do this." The doctor got to his feet and fired a single laser bolt, incinerating the **EGGMAN LAND **banner.

"And I'm not sorry."

The children screamed. They began to run, but not before Eggman looked at his badniks and said, "round them up."

The children kept screaming as the badniks did just that. They were fast – faster than him – but nowhere near as fast as Sonic, or any of his irritating friends. Sonic, if he'd been here, could have taken out all of these badniks in the blink of an eye. The children however, didn't have a chance.

"You lied to us Mister Tinker! You lied to us!"

"You're a meanie!"

"A monster!"

"You're bad!"

"You're bald!"

"You're bad _and _bald!"

Eggman fought the urge to snap back at the reprobate and turned to his head badnik. Still staring at him without thought or emotion.

"**Processing?"**

"Yes, you simpleton, processing. In fact…" He grinned, and looked at the badger. "Process them first. Let the parents watch."

The children continued screaming, but as the badniks carried them out, that was thankfully a noise Eggman didn't have to deal with for any longer than necessary. So in the silence, he holstered his pistol and looked back at the playset.

_I remember this. _He picked up one of the toy trains. _The singing, the playing, the lies…all of it._

He let the train linger in his hand, and he sighed. Chances were he'd still lose this. He was rebuilding the empire, and was attempting to do so without the Phantom Ruby. But here…here, he'd had something. Been successful at something. Actually been loved, as insane (and inane) as that was. There was no escaping the fact that his track record against Sonic wasn't good, whereas Sonic, bless his bleeding heart, had actually left him alone here. That he'd still be here if not for a wolf, a skunk, and a robot with an inferiority complex. In fact, he reflected, as he cradled the train in his hands, maybe he could still stay here. Start over. Live a lie, because what had he accomplished with the truth. Maybe…

"**Orders?"**

He looked round at his badniks. The ones armed with flamethrowers.

"**Orders?" **one of the badniks asked.

Eggman sighed. _No rest for the wicked._

"**Orders, doctor**."

_And what am I if not wicked? _He gave one last glance back at the playset. _What am I but Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik?_

"**Orders. Need orders."**

Eggman looked back at the badniks and tossed the train over his shoulder. "Burn it," he whispered.

The badniks marched forward and began incinerating the playset while Eggman walked back to his Egg Mobile. Out into the light of the setting sun, and the light of a dozen fires raging. He gave one last glance at the hovel his badniks were torching before he got into his flying machine and took off.

Mister Tinker had been born here, he reflected.

Now he, and any trace of him, had to die here as well.

* * *

_A/N_

_So, let's talk about the Mr. Tinker plot point from the IDW comics._

_Thing is, obviously Eggman wasn't going to stay at Mr. Tinker forever. However, of what I've read (issues 1-12, so maybe this complaints are alleviated later on), I feel that not enough weight is given to the restoration of his old persona. Because while "Mr. Tinker" isn't being murdered or anything, it is, to borrow a term from _Babylon 5_, a case of "death of personality." Yet this fact is never really even acknowledged. Not by Eggman, not by Starline, not by anyone. __And look, maybe I'm expecting too much from a comic that's going to have kids/teens as its primary audience, but it's not as if past Sonic comics were afraid of tackling death when it came to it, and treating such deaths with due gravitas when the situation called for it. _

_Anyway, drabbled this up._


End file.
